, 1887-09-15

10 load. llid Is done 5y
IS of the vessels before they
/ off, and the reason why the
is hot discharged at the ports
e the vessels load, IS stated 20 he
'ause the crews would demand
be paid shore pay to dis
;harge ballast at the mills. These
vessels have no interest in Port Town
send, many Of them never come here
but once, and our harbor in injured
by allowing these strangers to throw
out their ballast simply for their own
convenience.
We have been told by nautical gen
tlemen who really should know bet
ter, that there is no danger as the ebb
tide will sweep off this ballast into
the deep waters of Admiralty Inlet.
Others say: "Oh, it will take so
many years before the pot hole is
filed that we will be all dead and
gone, and our successors can clean
out this ballast if they find it becomes
necessary to deepen the harbor Now
let US see how the ebb tide carries off
this ballast. The city of New York
used, until within a few years to have
all the street sweepings, ashes, and
other offal collected by scavengers,
placed on scows which were towed
outside Sandy Hook and their con-
tents dumped into the water, with
the same argument, that the ebb tide
and strong current of the Hudson
river would sweep it out to sea. But
experience proved that it did not,
but it formed a shoal which threat
sned to impede navigation and the
Harbor Commissioners got out an in
junction which restrained the city
from throwing its waste into the
channel, and the Legislature forbade
the nuisance.
In the harbor of San Francisco, in
Suisun Bay and in the Sacramento,
Sap Joaquin and Feather rivers, the
ziikens from the hydraulic mines
uf;ch apparently was little mere
than muddy water, has caused sLoals
and bars and done millions of dollars
Of damage.
Now if the street sweepings of New
York and the muddy water from the
hydraulic rams of California can
cause such serious damage TO the
harbors of New York and San Fran
cisco what can be said of the thou-
sands of tons of rock and shingle bal53
LAST thrown ont year by year into the
mouth of our harbor by the great
feet of vessels which come 10 load
lumber at our mills. 1t seems to us
to be a true economy to use this bai-
last to fill up our wharves and behind
the sea wall. A vessel wishing to
discharge ballast couldanchor abreast
OF the place when ballast Is wanted,
dump the ballast into scows, which
could be towed ashore at small ex-
pense. It requires no argument to
show that wharves filed in this man
aer would forever resist attacks of
Serms. Our city front would be
substantially built and our harbor
would be preserved from danger.
1t seems such suicidal policy for
This city to allow this thing to con-
tinue, that we believe it is only nec-
sssary for US to call the attention OF
the City Council to the matter to
have than act promptly and avert a
threatened evil. There is no other
port or harbor in the civilized world
where vessels would be allowed to
throw oat ballast to endanger the in
tegrity and safety of anchorage; and
we call upon the city government to
act promptly in the matter and abate
this dangerous nuisance. Make ev-
cry vessel discharge her ballast where
it may fill up our whar7es, or else
make them discharge outside Port
Townsend bay at the ports where
they load cargoes. If the City Coun-
ell find themselves power less to act,
then the Board of Trade should take
hold of this matter whicl. seriouly af-
fsots every merchant in our city. If
ths Board of Trade will act with the
City Council, this nuisance viii ct
once be abated.